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The 89th Fartlek Friday™ – Time to “GO BIG” tomorrow … TWSS!

Okay, first off … there will always be a little of Michael Scott inside of me. TWSS! I kinda can’t help that, but ever since the Big Cottonwood Marathon began back in 2012 their motto of “GO BIG” was always a TWSS joke in my mind.

So, for my mother and those with sensible senses of humor … I apologize.

And, while I am apologizing, I should also apologize for this seizure inducing GIF of Space Mountain. It’s just a TAD excited about Disneyland at the end of this month. Well, actually in 15 days to be exact.

It’s been three years since my last Disneyland trip, which seems impossible. But, it’s the truth. I guess part of the reason why it’s been so long is that most of my resources and money have gone towards local races and transportation. It’s really one or the other.

But, it will be nice to get away for a week. From work, the blog and running. Well, okay, not running. You better believe I’ll still be running while in California. For many reasons … one, I have a 50K coming up in November, sea level running is awesome and I need a running on the beach moment at least once in my life.

With a 12 string chorus of course.

But, before I get to that point I’ve got to get through the next couple of weeks and that includes tomorrow marathon down Big Cottonwood Canyon. This is one of my favorite marathons here in Utah. Of all the marathons in Utah, I’d actually probably rank this second behind only St. George. Ogden would be a close third.

The race does a really great job at putting the runner first. The organization has been top notch since their first race back in 2012. They’ve changed the course a few times over the past four years, but that’s really because they’ve listened to the runners. And, believe me, the course has drastically changed over the years. The course is mainly downhill, but in 2012 it was mostly in the valley and around neighborhoods in the Holliday area.

They listen.

This will be the third time that I’ve ran the marathon. I also ran the half marathon in 2013. But, the marathon has my heart. Of all the Big Cottonwood races this is the only one that does the 26.2 mile distance down the canyon.

Anyways, before I start resorted to writing love letters and poetry to the Big Cottonwood Marathon you should just know that I love it and am looking forward to running it tomorrow morning.

Well, actually, I am sweeping it for the Run Your Race Pacers. Which is still going to be a challenge and fun. I am sweeping it with my friend Ramie and it should be an adventure. I love the back of the pack. They’re my people and I always come away inspired.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo … excited!

YEAH BIG COTTONWOOD! YEAH RUNNING! YEAH MARATHONS!

THE FIGHT4PHAT & BALANCE

As many of you know the past year and half or so has been pretty frustrating for me. My thyroid and testosterone have been in and out of whack and it’s really done a number of my health and weight. Having once weighed 400+ pounds I think I’ll always have a fear of going BACK to that fat self.

So finding a solution has been my focused the past year and despite the setbacks, I am not going to give up. I’ve still been working out, still running, still watching my diet, etc. I’ve tried different diets and routines in hopes that something would be the answer.

With all of this I’ve been in and out of doctor’s offices trying to find a balance with my meds. It’s been frustrating and I won’t rehash all of that crap, but I feel like I’ve found a good balance with my thyroid meds. The testosterone has been a bit more all over the place, but that’s another story.

Welp, I had a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday to check up on the thyroid and testosterone. And, after feeling good about the direction of my health the appointment made me feel even more frustrated.

So, yeah, I’m definitely in the market for a new doctor who not only asks questions first but doesn’t preach to me about something I am fairly well versed in. To me that’s just a waste of time and money.

I get that it could be genes and/or age, but that feels like a cop out to me. There’s something else at play whether it’s the anemia or testosterone. And, I want to find a solution for that.

But, I’m more than determined now to do that more on my own then to go to a doctor and seek answers, especially if they’re going to be like the one I saw on Wednesday.

Ugh.

But, for now I just keep on fightin’ …

THE UTAH RUNCAST – EPISODE THREE

In case you haven’t listened to the latest episode of The Utah Runcast it’s a good one. Jim and I are joined by Tim Gill and Joe Coles talking about fall faces including the Layton Marathon. Listen to it here …

THE FRIDAY FARTLEK

Here are a few other things that caught my attention this past week …

I was asked about my opinion on this Fat Shaming video that’s been “all the rage” this past week. My opinion? I could careless about it. It obviously wasn’t funny and those that are offended by it should really just ignore it. What’s it going to change or do? Haters gonna hate.

I will say this though, she was PAINFULLY trying to be funny. Not only wasn’t she NOT funny, but if she wants to be a good comedian you’ve got to be authentic … which she wasn’t.